First things first. 
Do I believe Justin Trudeau is a racist? No.
Do I think he should have known better? Yes.
But when did Trudeau first realise that blacking up was racist? When did the penny drop?
We learn he began to view blackface as racist after becoming an MP - in 2008.
In 2001, the 29 year old Justin Trudeau felt comfortable blacking up as Aladdin.
Black and White Minstrels
The BBC’s Black and White Ministrel Show ran from 1958-1978 when it was pulled from the schedules. A stage version ran in London until 1988. By then it was widely acknowledged to be racist.
I am a fairly recent immigrant to Canada. Most of my life was spent in the UK which has seen huge changes in its demography and in attitudes to race. What was deemed to be acceptable by the BBC in 1978 is absolutely unacceptable now.
So it is difficult to disagree with today’s Toronto Star editorial:
“For Trudeau himself, it speaks to a lamentable lack of judgment, not just when he was a callow teen but as a grown man of 29 with a responsible job as a teacher of young people at a Vancouver high school. And for it to take place not in the dark ages of the 1950s or 60s, but as recently as 2001, when blackface was universally condemned as racist, is truly staggering.”
Blacking up for Othello?
As it happens, I was in Stratford last week to see Othello, played superbly by the black actor Michael Blake.
Would Justin Trudeau, the drama teacher, have blacked up to play the part?
Indeed, should white actors ever play the part of Othello, the Moor? 
Of course they should. But they shouldn’t black up.
To prevent white actors from playing Othello would be racism in reverse.
Impact on the election
So, will the revelations affect the trajectory of the election?
Yes.
We are all talking about race in Canada.
But will it affect the result?
It gives reasons for those who dislike Trudeau, or have reservations about him, to vote for another Party on the left.
But if Trudeau is re-elected, there are certain things he won't be able to say in future. He cannot camp on the high ground. In this I agree with the Star's Chantel Hébert.
On the world stage he will be a diminished figure.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Update on 21 September 2019: Blackface has a long history in Canada. And this from the Globe and Mail. And here is an opinion piece in the UK's left leaning Guardian.
